Hello everybody!!

Welcome to the blog "OurLeón".

We are Cristina, Edu, Dani, Machin, Julia and Guillermo. We want to show you our city which is called León. We are about twenty years old and we are going to talk about our lifes in Spain and specially in León, a wonderfull city.

León and monuments

León… León is a peaceful town where you can lead a very quiet life. We are situated on the north-west of Spain which is on the south-west of Europe.
We can say that this is a privileged place, because we enjoy on the same time Mediterranean benefits and Atlantic ones.
The city is between two rivers, the Bernesga and the Torío where our Roman forefathers built their Legio VII camp. We still can admire large walls remembering us those days.
But Roman and medieval walls are only a little part of our patrimony. Certainly, León is one of the most important cities in the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, a city in Spain where traditionally is situated the Saint James sepulchre. Pilgrims going there, usually stay a few days with us. It can be because of our hospitality, but overcoat, is because of the importance of the monuments.
Firstly of all… our treasure… the Gothic cathedral. Was built in the thirteenth century and is not very different than others but the real treasures are its stained glass windows. They are surely the most important ones all over the world.
Then, The Basilica of San Isidoro, a Romanesque building housing the royal pantheon where lie king’s mortal remains of the ancient Kingdom of León.
An other great example of the beauty of the town is San Marcos. It’s luxury state-owned hotel housed in an ancient hospital-monastery built in the sixteenth century.
Also there are in the city a very important sample of civil architecture like the Guzmanes Palace, at present the seat of the provincial council, or the Botines House designed by the famous architect Antonio Gaudí at last years of the nineteenth century. Also the Poridad House where not much time ago was housed the city hall, and the Mayor Square where also was the city hall and the police station.
Furthermore, if you want, you can see a lot of little churches, bridges and important streets.
For instance, you can have a walk along Ordoño II street, the commercial one in León where there are a lot of trendy shops and banks and where at present is seated the city hall. And obviously, if the visitor has time must go to the MUSAC, the Contemporary Museum of Castile and Leon. The building is a very good example of modern architecture, also the Europe Building and the seat of the government of the autonomous region in León, near the MUSAC.

SPORTS OF OUR PROVINCE

In the sport area, we want to do mention to two traditional sports that we have in our province. These sports were two traditional and autochthonous games and now they became in sports. Both sports are mainly practised in our province, although at the present time it is possible to see some competition of both in others regions.

La Lucha Leonesa.

The first is called Lucha Leonesa. The Lucha Leonesa is a fight sport where two opponents try to fall down the adversary putting his back into the ground. The main difference between Lucha Leonesa and other fight sport is that the opponents use to grab to the contrary a belt and this kind to grab is fix.

There are two surfaces where it is possible to develop this sport in the grass and on the mattress. In summer it is usually to celebrate the competitions in the grass, while in the rest of the year due to bad weather that we have in León, the competitions are developed in a pavilion on the mattress.

The punctuation is done by a referee and there are two different punctuations. These depend of the way in which the adversary is fallen down. The highest punctuation is the whole fall and the other is the half fall. To win a fight it is precise to do to falls.
Lastly and trying to hep you to identify this sport, there are to say that the Lucha Leonesa has some common characteristics with the Wrestling and the Judo, but in our point of view is less violent and dangerous.


Los Bolos Leoneses

In Spain there are many different variety of Bowling and one of the most important varieties is in León and is called Los Bolos Leoneses.

If we think in bowling we quickly identify this sport with the modern bowling that we find in all ours cities where we need to fall down the most number of ninepins. However, this sport is quite different, the aim is to get throw of a special way trying that the ball do the wished path.

The mains characteristics of this sport are that the ball is not a ball, is half ball. It is called but her form is semicircular is like we cut an orange for the middle. After the ninepins have, more or less, the common appearance, there are ten and one of them is smallest than the others, nevertheless it is the most important ninepin and shows the way that the ball must follow. The distance between the ninepins are 30 centimetres and are disposed forming a square.

The principal problem of this sport is that is mainly practised by elderly people, but in the actuality is starting to be practised by younger people.

TRADITIONS & FIESTAS

SEMANA SANTA

It occurs in spring and it´s celebrated in all Spain. Recall The passion of Christ and his Resurrection.
“La Semana Santa” in leon is one of the most interesting of the north of Spain.
Here we call “Papones” to the faithful people who carry statues of the Saints y we call “procesiones” to the parade of faithful and Saints.

It´s splendid and beautiful event although you aren´t religious.


STRANGE TRADITION IN SEMANA SANTA: EL ENTIERRO DE GENARÍN

It´s celebrate in León the Maundy thurday.
Genaro Blanco, “Genarín” was a drunkard man who used to go with whores, he earn money with animal skills.
In 1929 on Maundy Thursday he was knocked down by the first garbage truck while he was having a piss!
People start to remember him with poems, and year after year more people were incorporated to Genarin memory.
Sortly afterwards it becomes in a frarce traditional procession that comes until today like a mockery, or critic towards the hypocrite acttitude of the Church.
Nowadays people make a fun procession with funny poems and songs.



STRANGE TRADITION IN SEMANA SANTA: “MATAR JUDIOS” ( “to kill Jewish”)

Don´t worry is not literal! It´s an expression we say only in León during Semana Santa.
It´s used when we take a typical Semana Santa drink call “limonada”.
It´s made with red wine, sugar, lemons, oranges, cinnamon, and sometimes figs and raisins.
(It similar to “Sangria”,more knowed in the rest of Spain.)
It´s nothingto seems with lemonade! If you drink a bit our “limonada” you´ll probably be tipsy, don´t take a lot!

In the past we had conflicts with Jewish, so people when kill or (expel) drive Jewilsh out of our land celebrated this with a drink...
So this expression come from that, but nowadays is only a expression that means drink limonada.

Let´s go to “matar judios”!

SAN FROILAN

He is the León Patron Saint.
In the beginning of October it´s his day and is our most traditional fiesta.
We remember our ancestors and their traditions.
We decorate carts like our ancestors woth flowers, branchs, bread, etc...
We go for a walk with aou “pendones”, they are something like very big flags that represent each León villages.
We eat hazelnuts and a lot of “morcilla” (made with pig´s blood)too, it´s sound bad but it´s very tasty.

FIESTAS DE SAN JUAN Y SAN PEDRO

Is our big fiesta, but it isn’t the most traditional.
It´s in the last days of June, when most of the university students have final exams! (we can fail but we can´t lose the party)
There are different things like: bullfighting, parades, shows in the street, music, concerts, activities for all the ages, street market, typical eat and drink stalls and also international stalls, fair, etc

The most interesting maybe: fireworks and the Saint Juan bonfire that has pagan origin and there´s a rumor going aroun this that says it´s used to burn bad things like gosht, evil spirits, thoughts, regards, etc.

GOING OUT

People spend nights in pubs in a zone call “Barrio Humedo”; is in the city center and is the ancient part of the city.
There you can take “tapas” and diferents drinks and then you can go to dance.
It´s a great festive atmosphere!

UNIVERSITY LIFE

We are studying in the Education Faculty to be English teachers. We have to study this degree for three years and then if we want we can do another two years more. We have classes every day, except Fridays, since nine to two o´clock. Some days we have classes in the afternoon too, it depends on the subjects that we have chosen.

In the campus, there are many coffee bars, a big library and different shops. When we don´t have a class or we have free time we usually go to the coffee bars to have a drink or a snack. In the universities there are all Thursdays a “fiesta” of a Faculty. It is celebrates with a “spixa” in the afternoon. A “spixa” is an event where university students go to a garden of the campus and they drink “calimocho” (it is made of wine and cola), beer and cider. They have a really good time all together talking and listening to music. Then, at night, they go to the pubs and bars of the “barrio Húmedo” to have a drink and to dance, and at four or five o´clock in the morning it is normal to go to a big disco which is called “OH!”

But not all is parties, we have to study too. There are two periods of exams during the course. The first is on February and the second in June. If we fail any subject we have the opportunity to do another exam in September.

The long tradition of Tapas

León is a famous city for a lot of things but one of the most important are "The Tapas". But what The Tapas are?

The Tapas are a long tradition in all the more than 140 bars which there are in León city. It consist, when you go to a bar with your friends, your girlfriend or boyfriend, your colleages...you take a cup of wine, a beer or whatever you like and you receive an delicious and free Tapa which is something to eat, e.g. a special fry potatoes, a piece of fried chicken, a piece of omelette... it depends because each bar has his special "TAPA". But you can´t waste your time, only five minutes in each bar, you have to prove all kinds of Tapas!!!!

You can take Tapas from half past seven in the evenning to half past eleven in the night everydays, and if you want also before the lunch from 1: 00 pm to 3:00 pm.

Now, hurry up!!! The Tapas are waiting for you here in León!!!!!

some questions for you about food

We would like to know somethings about the food in your country
For example:
what time do you usually have breakfast, lunch and dinner?
Do you have some typical dishes in your state?
What do you think about american food?
could you describe us your favourite place to eat?
what is the most strange food have you ever eaten?

Ahora os vamos a contar un poco sobre nuestras costumbres gastronómicas.
Aqui en España normalmente tenemos tres comidas principales:


- Desayunamos sobre las 9 de la mañana. Nuestro desayuno está basado principalmete en leche, fruta y cereales.

- La comida la realizamos sobre las 14:30. Consta de tres platos: primer plato, segundo plato y postre. Esta es nuestra comida principal del día.

- La cena la realizamos a las 22:00.

Nuestras comidas más tipicas son la tortilla de patata y la paella. En león son platos tipicos la morcilla y el embutido.